Method for viewing and printing double-sided items

ABSTRACT

A method for displaying indicia that is to be printed on a double-sided item on a computer screen. The double-sided item has first and second surfaces. The indicia has at least one print orientation when the indicia is printed on the item&#39;s first and second surfaces, and at least one view orientation when the indicia is displayed on the computer screen, which has a vertical orientation. The method includes providing information that characterizes the indicia&#39;s print orientation, using the information to compare the print orientation to the vertical orientation; and if, as a result of the comparison, the print orientation does not match the vertical orientation, adjusting the view orientation so the view orientation matches the vertical orientation while maintaining the indicia&#39;s print orientation when the indicia is printed on the item.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATION

The present application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.12/054,358, filed Mar. 24, 2008, entitled “Method for Viewing andPrinting Double-Sided Items,” now U.S. Pat. No. 8,826,124, which claimsthe priority date of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No.60/896,929, filed Mar. 25, 2007, entitled “Software Template ReverseSide View and Printing Normalization,” all of which are herebyincorporated by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to the double-sided printing ofitems. More specifically, the present invention relates to thedouble-sided printing of greeting cards, note cards, postcards,brochures, business cards, and the like.

BACKGROUND

Currently, double-sided printing of an item, for example, a greetingcard, a note card, a postcard, a brochure, or a business card, can becomplicated. Each side of the item can include indicia, e.g., print orimages, that is printed right side up, and other indicia that is printedupside down, even on the same side/surface of the item. This especiallyis the case where the item is configured to be folded after printing.Accordingly, it should, therefore, be appreciated that there is a needfor a simplified method for printing indicia on both surfaces of adual-sided item. The present invention satisfies this need as well asothers.

SUMMARY

An exemplary method according to the invention is a method fordisplaying indicia that is to be printed on a double-sided item on acomputer screen for viewing by a user. The double-sided item has a firstsurface and a second surface, the indicia has at least one printorientation when the indicia is printed on the item's first and secondsurfaces, the indicia has at least one view orientation when the indiciais displayed on the computer screen, and the computer screen has avertical orientation. The method includes the following: providinginformation that characterizes the indicia's at least one printorientation; using the information to compare the indicia's at least oneprint orientation to the computer screen's vertical orientation; and if,as a result of the comparison, the indicia's at least one printorientation does not match the computer screen's vertical orientation,adjusting the indicia's at least one view orientation so the indicia'sat least one view orientation matches the computer screen's verticalorientation. The indicia's at least one print orientation, when theindicia are printed on the double-sided items is maintained.

In other, more detailed features of the invention, the step of adjustingthe indicia's at least one view orientation involves rotating theindicia's at least one view orientation 180 degrees if the indicia's atleast one print orientation is inverted with respect to the computerscreen's vertical orientation. Also, the step of adjusting the indicia'sat least one view orientation can involve rotating the indicia's atleast one view orientation 90 degrees if the indicia's at least oneprint orientation is perpendicular to the computer screen's verticalorientation. In addition, the step of adjusting the indicia's at leastone view orientation ensures that the user will view the indicia rightside up on the computer screen.

In other, more detailed features of the invention, the method furtherincludes providing a graphical representation of a sheet that includesthe double-sided item and is configured to be displayed on the computerscreen for viewing by the user. The indicia are displayed on thecomputer screen in conjunction with the graphical representation of thesheet. The graphical representation of the sheet that includes thedouble-sided item can be a template. Also, the double-sided item can bea note card, a greeting card, a postcard, a brochure, or a businesscard.

An exemplary embodiment is a computer-readable medium that is configuredto interface with a computer, and contains a program that is configuredto prompt the display of indicia that is to be printed on a double-sideditem on a computer screen for viewing by a user. The double-sided itemhas a first surface and a second surface. The indicia have at least oneprint orientation when the indicia are printed on the item's first andsecond surfaces. The indicia have at least one view orientation when theindicia are displayed on the computer screen, and the computer screenhas a vertical orientation. The program includes information that isused to prompt the display of the indicia on the computer screen, wherethe program receives data that characterizes the indicia's at least oneprint orientation and the computer screen's vertical orientation, theprogram uses the data during a comparison of the indicia's at least oneprint orientation to the computer screen's vertical orientation, and ifthe program determines, as a result of the comparison, that theindicia's at least one print orientation does not match the computerscreen's vertical orientation, the program adjusts the indicia's atleast one view orientation so the indicia's at least one vieworientation matches the computer screen's vertical orientation whilemaintaining the indicia's at least one print orientation when theindicia is printed on the double-sided item.

In other, more detailed features of the invention, the program furtherincludes additional information that the program is configured to use toprompt the printing of the indicia on the double-sided item by a printerthat is coupled to the computer. Also, the printer can be a top-feedprinter or a bottom-feed printer. In addition, the program can furtherinclude a flag that is configured to prompt the printer to print theindicia on the double-sided item in an inverted manner.

Another exemplary method according to the invention is a method fordisplaying a graphical representation of a sheet that includes aplurality of double-sided items on a computer screen for viewing by auser. The sheet has a first surface, a second surface, and at least onedimension. The sheet is configured to be printed with indicia on boththe first surface and the second surface of the sheet. Each of theplurality of double-sided items has a first print location on the firstsurface and a second print location on the second surface. The methodincludes the following: providing information that characterizes thesecond print location of each of the plurality of double-sided items onthe sheet's second surface and the at least one dimension of the sheet,using the information to determine a view orientation for each of theplurality of double-sided items on the second surface relative to agraphical representation of the sheet's second surface, and using theview orientation to display a graphical representation of each of theplurality of double-sided items along with the graphical representationof the sheet's second surface on the computer screen. The vieworientation for each of the plurality of double-sided items on thesheet's second surface corresponds to the first print location of theitem on the sheet's first surface.

In other, more detailed features of the invention, the method furtherincludes the following: providing additional information thatcharacterizes the first print location of each of the plurality ofdouble-sided items on the sheet's first surface, using the additionalinformation to determine an additional view orientation for each of theplurality of double-sided items on the first surface relative to agraphical representation of the sheet's first surface, and using theadditional view orientation to display the graphical representation ofeach of the plurality of double-sided items along with the graphicalrepresentation of the sheet's first surface on the computer screen. Theadditional view orientation for each of the plurality of double-sideditems on the sheet's first surface corresponds to the first printlocation of the item on the sheet's first surface.

Another exemplary embodiment is a computer-readable medium that isconfigured to interface with a computer, and contains a program that isconfigured to prompt the display of a graphical representation of asheet that includes a plurality of double-sided items on a computerscreen for viewing by a user. The sheet has a first surface, a secondsurface, and at least one dimension. The sheet is configured to beprinted with indicia on both the first surface and the second surface ofthe sheet. Each of the plurality of double-sided items has a first printlocation on the first surface and a second print location on the secondsurface. The program includes information that is used to prompt thedisplay of the graphical representation of the sheet on the computerscreen. The program receives data that characterizes the second printlocation of each of the plurality of double-sided items on the sheet'ssecond surface and the at least one dimension of the sheet. The programuses the data to determine a view orientation for each of the pluralityof double-sided items on the second surface relative to a graphicalrepresentation of the sheet's second surface. The program uses the vieworientation to display a graphical representation of each of theplurality of double-sided items along with the graphical representationof the sheet's second surface on the computer screen. The vieworientation for each of the plurality of double-sided items on thesecond surface corresponds to the first print location of the item onthe first surface for the item.

In other, more detailed features of the invention, the program furtherincludes additional information that the program is configured to use todo the following: characterize the first print location of each of theplurality of double-sided items on the sheet's first surface, determinean additional view orientation for each of the plurality of double-sideditems on the first surface relative to a graphical representation of thesheet's first surface, and use the additional view orientation to promptthe display of the graphical representation of each of the plurality ofdouble-sided items along with the graphical representation of thesheet's first surface on the computer screen. The additional vieworientation for each of the plurality of double-sided items on thesheet's first surface corresponds to the first print location of theitem on the sheet's first surface.

In other, more detailed features of the invention, the program furtherincludes additional information that the program is configured to use toprompt the printing of the indicia on the sheet by a printer that iscoupled to the computer. Also, the program can be configured to includeadditional information that the program is configured to use to promptthe user to reinsert the sheet into the printer in a specific sheetorientation after indicia has been printed on the sheet's first surface.In addition, the program can further include additional information thatthe program is configured to use to prompt the display of each of theplurality of double-sided items on the computer screen in a portraitorientation even if the sheet will be printed in a landscapeorientation.

Other features of the invention should become apparent to those skilledin the art from the following description of the preferred embodimentstaken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate,by way of example, the principles of the invention, the invention notbeing limited to any particular preferred embodiment(s) disclosed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the presentinvention will become better understood with reference to the followingdescription, appended claims, and accompanying drawings, where:

FIG. 1 includes elevational views of various double-sided itemsincluding a greeting card, a note card, a postcard, a brochure, and abusiness card.

FIG. 2 includes views of an example note card including elevationalviews of the note card's front face, inside surface, and back face infolded configurations, and plan views of a sheet that is used to formthe note card including a plan view of the sheet's front or firstsurface and a plan view of the sheet's back or second surface.

FIGS. 3A, 3B, and 3C include perspective views of example printersincluding perspective views of a bottom-feed printer (FIG. 3A) andperspective views of a top-feed printer (FIGS. 3B and 3C), and theprocess for flipping/rotation a sheet before reinsertion of the sheetinto each type of printer.

FIG. 4 includes plan views of sheets that include example itemsincluding a greeting card, note cards, postcards, a brochure, andbusiness cards.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a user interfacing with a computer thatis coupled to a printer.

FIG. 6 is an elevational view of a computer screen displaying a templateaccording to a preferred embodiment for an exemplary greeting card.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a computer including a computer-readablemedium and a printer that is coupled to the computer.

FIG. 8 includes views of an example greeting card including elevationalviews of the note card's front and back faces and inside surface infolded configurations, and plan views of a sheet that is used to formthe greeting card including a plan view of the sheet's front or firstsurface and a plan view of the sheet's back or second surface.

FIG. 9 includes views of another example greeting card includingelevational views of the note card's front and back faces and insidesurface in folded configurations, and plan views of a sheet that is usedto form the greeting card including a plan view of the sheet's front orfirst surface and a plan view of the sheet's back or second surface.

FIG. 10 includes views of an example sheet of business cards includingplan views of the sheet's front or first surface and back or secondsurface, and a perspective view of the process for flipping the sheet.

FIG. 11 includes a plan view of an example sheet illustrating the feedsides, page side, height, and width of the sheet.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart of an example method for displaying indicia thatis to be printed on a double-sided item on a computer screen for viewingby a user according to the invention.

FIG. 13 is a plan view of a front or first surface of an example sheetof double-sided folded business cards.

FIG. 14 includes plan views of the front face and back face of a foldedbusiness card of FIG. 13, and a plan view of the front or first surfaceof an unfolded version of one of the business cards of FIG. 13 showingthe front and back faces.

FIG. 15 is a plan view of a back or second surface of the example sheetof double-sided folded business cards of FIG. 13.

FIG. 16 is a plan view of an incorrect assumption regarding theconfiguration of the back or second surface of the example sheet ofdouble-sided folded business cards of FIG. 13.

FIG. 17 includes a plan view of the front or first surface of a sheet ofnine business cards and a plan view of the back or second surface of thesheet of nine business cards.

FIG. 18 is a flowchart of an example method for displaying a graphicalrepresentation of a sheet that includes a plurality of double-sideditems on a computer screen for viewing by a user according to theinvention.

Unless otherwise indicated, the illustrations in the above figures arenot necessarily drawn to scale.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIG. 1, the process of using a template that is designedfor viewing indicia, e.g., print and/or an images on a double-sided item10, e.g., a greeting card 12, a note card 14, a postcard 16, a brochure18, or a business card 20, and then printing the double-sided item canbe a complex issue. The complexity of viewing and printing the indiciaon the double-sided item is further complicated when attempts are madeto edit the indicia prior to printing. Also, the process of how the item(when in the form of sheet and not folded) is inserted, and possiblyreinserted, into a printer during the printing process so that bothsides of the item are printed correctly can be complicated. For example,referring additionally to FIG. 2, it might be desired to edit indicia 21on the front face 22, the inside face 24, and the back face 26 of a notecard, in that order. Yet for printing purposes, the front and back facesare grouped for printing on a first surface 28 of the note card sheet30, and the inside face 24 is the opposite side, also referred to as thesecond surface, of the note card sheet. The back face 26 will be printedupside down since the note card is folded, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.So, referring additionally to FIGS. 3A, 3B, and 3C, the issue becomes,how the note card sheet is reinserted into a printer 32 in order toensure that the both surfaces/sides 24 and 28 of the note card areprinted correctly, including making sure that the indicia, e.g., printand/or images, are printed in the correct orientation, e.g., right sideup or upside down.

Referring again to FIG. 1, each double-sided item 10, e.g., a greetingcard 12 having a single vertical fold 34, a note card 14 having a singlehorizontal fold 36, a postcard 16 having no fold, a brochure 18 havingtwo vertical folds 38, and a business card 20, has its own rule forviewing and printing. For example, as shown in the examples of FIG. 1,the greeting and note cards are folded once, while the postcards andbusiness cards are not folded, and the brochure has more than one fold.

Referring additionally to FIG. 4, the quantity of items 10 on a sheet 40can also have an impact on viewing and printing. A greeting card 12 orbrochure 18 may only include one card per sheet 42 and 44, respectively.A sheet 46 of note cards 14 can include two or more note cards. A sheet48 of postcards 16 might include four or more postcards, as shown inFIG. 4. A sheet 50 of business cards 20 can include eight or tenbusiness cards, or more. Each of these items can be double-sided forprinting and viewing. The requirement for editing and printing thesedouble-sided items varies from design to design.

Referring again to FIGS. 3A, 3B, and 3C, the type of printer 32 alsoimpacts how a sheet 40 needs to be reinserted to facilitate double-sidedprinting. For example, bottom-feed printers 52 have different insertionneeds in comparison to top-feed printers 54. Also, given the type ofitem 10, its design, and the quantity of items on a sheet, thereinsertion of the item into a printer can differ dramatically. Forexample, the reinsertion needs for a greeting card 12 will differ fromthose of a brochure 18, as will the reinsertion needs between a notecard 14 and a postcard 16. As shown in FIG. 3A, when a bottom-feedprinter is used, a user may need to rotate the sheet, but the sheet neednot be flipped as shown in the case of a top-feed printer in FIG. 4B.

Referring again to the greeting card 12 illustrated in FIG. 2, the topportion 56 of the back or second surface 28 of the greeting card must beprinted upside down in order for the printed indicia 21 to be in thecorrect print orientation when the greeting card is folded closed (note:when the greeting card is fully open, the indicia on the top portion ofthe back surface is upside down). Referring additionally to FIGS. 5 and6, a user 58 of a template 60 (the template will take different formsdepending upon the item's design, for example, in FIG. 6, the templateincludes a graphical representation of the front surface 62 and agraphical representation of a back surface 64 of the sheet 42 having agreeting card) that is displayed on the screen 66 of a computer 68 doesnot view a design, as shown on the template, with any upside down printon the top portion 56 of the greeting card's back surface, because thiswould be confusing to the user when editing the design, e.g., addingtext and/or graphics to the design of the item. As shown in FIG. 5, thecomputer is coupled to a printer 32.

Also, there can be confusion with respect to what “landscape” versus“portrait” means when dealing with a folded item 10, e.g., a greetingcard 12, a note card 14, or a brochure 18, or when more then one item 10is on a sheet 40. A landscape greeting card is viewed as a portraitsheet when it is printed, as shown in FIGS. 3A, 3B, and 3C. A landscapepostcard 16, as shown in FIGS. 3A, 3B, and 3C, (with four postcards on asheet) is actually viewed as a landscape sheet when it is printed. Thisimpacts how the designs for the items are viewed in software thatgenerates the template 60 and/or the software used for printing theitems.

The software program that includes information, e.g., computer code anddata, that is used by program as prompted by the user 58 to display,create, and/or manipulate the templates 60 that are used to printindicia 21 on a item 10 is stored in at least one computer-readablemedium 70, as shown in FIG. 7. The computer-readable medium can beanything that is used to store, communicate, propagate, or transport aprogram for use by the computer 68, for example, the computer-readablemedium can be a an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic,infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, device, or propagationmedium. Specific examples of a computer-readable medium include a randomaccess memory (“RAM”), a read-only memory (“ROM”), an erasableprogrammable read-only memory (e.g., an EPROM, EEPROM, or Flash memory),a compact disc read-only memory (“CDROM”), a digital video disc (“DVD”),a portable computer diskette, a magnetic cassette, a magnetic tape, amagnetic disk drive, a rewritable optical disk, or any other medium thatcan be used to store information. While one computer-readable medium isshown in FIG. 7, it should be understood by those having ordinary skillin the art that the computer program, or one or more portions of thecomputer program can be stored on more than one computer-readablemedium.

The different orientations of an items design also can impact theviewing and printing of the item 10. Referring to FIG. 8, a tallgreeting card 72 that includes a vertical fold 74 can be viewed using atemplate 60 as a landscape sheet 42 when editing. However, for printing,the sheet needs to be inserted into a printer 32 in a portrait manner,and thus, all of the printed indicia 21, e.g., text and/or graphics,needs to be rotated 90 degrees when printing so that the resulting sheetis printed in a landscape orientation. In contrast, referringadditionally to FIG. 9, a wide greeting card 76 that includes ahorizontal fold 78 can be viewed using the template and printed as aportrait sheet, i.e., printed in a portrait orientation. Yet duringprinting, the top portion 80 of the first surface 82 of the portraitsheet 84 has indicia 86 that is rotated 180 degrees from the orientationof the indicia 88 printed on the second surface 90.

Referring additionally to FIG. 10, when a sheet 92 of business cards 20is created using a template 60, the front or first surface 94 of sheetof business cards, when viewed by a user 58 (looking left to right, andthen top and down), does not match the back or second surface 96 of thesheet. When editing the back surface of the sheet, it would be easy toerroneously assume that the second business card 98 is actually thefirst business card 100.

When it comes time for the user 58 to print the sheet 92 of businesscards 20, the user inserts the sheet into the printer 32 to print thetop surface 94, and then, reinserts the sheet into the printer to printthe back surface 96. Both printing steps occur in the portraitorientation. However, issues can arise with respect to making sure thatthe back surface is printed correctly with respect to the front surface.

Referring additionally to FIG. 11, reinsertion of the sheet 92 ofbusiness cards 20 into the printer 32 requires an understanding of thefeed side and the page side of the sheet by the user 58. The feed siderefers to the edges 102 and 104 of the sheet 92, while the page siderefers to the 2D view of the sheet including its full width (“W”) andheight (“H”). Different designs/items require different feed sides to beinserted. For example, a greeting card 72 and 76 requires that after afirst feed side is inserted into the printer, that the opposite feedside (the one opposite from the first feed side) be reinserted to printthe other side of the sheet. In contrast, the printing of a postcard 16requires that the same feed side be reinserted into the printer to printthe second side of the sheet 48 of postcards.

As previously discussed, different printers 52 and 54 require thatdifferent page sides be inserted. For example, as shown in FIG. 3A, abottom feed printer 52 requires that the page side 106, i.e., the sideon which the sheet is to be printed, be inserted into the printer upsidedown. In contrast, as shown in FIGS. 3B and 3C, a top-feed printer 54requires that the page side be inserted right-side up. Accordingly,between the various designs of the items 10 that can be printed, and thevariation in printer types, attempting to determine the variousorientations for viewing and printing can be very confusing. Theembodiments of the present invention simply this process forconsumers/users so they are able to easily create, view, and/or printvarious item designs across various printers.

Embodiments of the present invention include a program for creating,generating, and/or manipulating a template 60 and method that isconfigured to be used to facilitate the creation, viewing, and printingof various designs/items 10 across a variety of printers 32 withoutrequiring the user 58 to keep track of the special viewing/printingconditions of each design/item and each printer type 52 and 54. Asmentioned above, the issues include the following: the differencesbetween an efficient design view while ensuring correct printing, thedifferences between the type and quantity of designs/items 12-20 on bothsides 24, 28, 82, 90, 94, and 96 of a sheet 40-50 and 92 and the effectof the designs on the reinsertion process associated with the sheet, thedifferences between common types of consumer printers and theirassociated effect on the page insertion process, the difference inportrait and landscape page orientation versus the various designs,e.g., the tall and wide greeting card designs 72 and 76, respectively,and the ability to apply a consistent set of rules to editing andprinting different designs. The embodiments of the present inventioneliminate the need for a user to work out all of these issues forthemself while viewing and/or prior to printing the double-sided items.

Design View

Referring again to FIGS. 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, and 10, the concept of “designview” refers to how consumers/users 58 preview a to-be-printed item 10using a graphical representation of a sheet 40-50 and 92 that includesthe double-sided item(s), also referred to as a template 60, that isdisplayed on a computer screen 66 during the editing process. Usersexpect to view each specific area, e.g., the front face 22, the insidesurface 24, and the back face 26 of a greeting card 12, of an item thatis presented in the template in an orientation that is useful forapplying/modifying indicia 21, e.g., the text and/or graphics, on theitem. A user expects that the indicia will be presented right-side-up,and read/viewed from left to right across the computer screen. Yet, aswas discussed above in reference to the note card 12 example, the frontface and the back face are grouped together on one side/surface 28 ofthe printable sheet 42 with the indicia, e.g., the text and/or graphic,on the back face being rotated 180 degrees, or inverted, when printing.Embodiments of the present invention advantageously do not present theuser with the inverted text during editing, which would only add to userconfusion. A user would not want to see the flipped/inverted indicia.Similarly, for other items, the indicia's print orientation can be 90degrees out of phase with the indicia's view orientation, i.e., theorientation of the indicia as viewed by the user on the computer screen.Again, the indicia's view orientation on the computer screen is set sothe user does not have to view rotated indicia.

Additionally, embodiments also correct for the view orientation of theindicia 21 that is displayed using the template 60 on the computermonitor screen 66 so that the indicia that is inverted for the printingprocess, also referred to as the print orientation of the indicia, isnot viewed by the user 58 in its inverted state. During the correctionprocess, the view orientation of the indicia is compared to the verticalorientation of the computer screen (noted in FIG. 6 by the arrow labeled“VO”), and the indicia's view orientation is adjusted to match thevertical orientation of the computer screen, if it does not alreadymatch. For example, as was previously discussed in the greeting card 12example, the printable sheet 42 had to be reinserted into the printer 32with the opposite feed-side so as to invert the print of the greetingcard. When editing, a user does not want to view the upside down indiciathat is to be printed on the inside surface of the greeting card.

In addition to correcting the view orientation, i.e., the directionalorientation, of indicia 21 that will ultimately be inverted whenprinted, embodiments of the present invention also correct thepositional order of the items 10 when more than one double-sided item ispresent in a sheet 40. For example, as was previously discussed, a sheet92 of double-sided business cards 20 can raise issues as to the positionof the cards when the sheet is flipped for reinsertion into a printer32. In particular, the order of business cards when viewing the backsurface 96 of the sheet of business cards does not match the order whenviewing the front surface 94 of the sheet. Accordingly, the embodimentsof the present invention provide a user 58 with an effective design viewthat corrects the view seen by a user when looking at the design'stemplate 60 on the computer screen 66 and/or editing the design. Thiseffective design view corrects for inverted indicia and the relativeposition of more than one item on a sheet.

Referring additionally to FIG. 12, an exemplary method for displayingindicia 21 that is to be printed on a double-sided item 10 on a computerscreen 66 for viewing by a user 58 according to the present invention isillustrated in algorithm 108. The double-sided item has a first surface28, 82, and 94 and a second surface 24, 90, and 96. The indicia have aprint orientation when the indicia is printed on the item's first andsecond surfaces. The indicia have a view orientation when the indiciaare displayed on the computer screen, and the computer screen has avertical orientation. After starting the method at step 110, the nextstep 112 is to provide information that characterizes the printorientation of the indicia. Next, at step 114, the information is usedwhen comparing the indicia's print orientation to a vertical orientation“VO” of the computer screen. Next, at step 116, if, as a result of thecomparison, the indicia's print orientation does not match the computerscreen's vertical orientation, the indicia's view orientation isadjusted so the indicia's view orientation matches the computer screen'svertical orientation. The indicia's print orientation, when the indiciaare printed on the double-sided item, is maintained. The method ends atstep 118.

View Normalization

Referring additionally to FIG. 13, an example of a case for viewnormalization is a front or first surface 119 of a sheet 120 containingfour double-sided and folded business cards 122. As shown in FIG. 13,four blocks 124, each of which represents a folded business card, areshown on the sheet, each block is assigned a sequential number, e.g.,one, two, three, and four. A horizontal fold line 126 is shown acrossthe center of each block.

The four blocks 124 have been arranged with the first block 128 in thetop left corner 130 of the sheet 120 and then the other three blocks,i.e., the second block 132, third block 134, and fourth block 136, arepositioned on the sheet following the normal U.S. and Western Europeanreading pattern of left-to-right and then top-to-bottom. So, referringadditionally to FIG. 14, the resulting view of the top or first surface138 of the sheet 120 shows the front face 140 and the back face 142 ofeach of the four double-sided folded business cards 122 in an efficientdesign view order. The lower section 144 of each block 124 representsthe front face of each card, and the upper section 146 represents theback face of each card. As indicated in FIG. 14, compared to the designview that is shown in the template 60, the indicia 148 that isassociated with the upper section, which represents the back face of thecard, should be rotated 180 degrees so it will be printed in the correctorientation so that when the business card is folded, the printedindicia is right-side up.

Referring additionally to FIG. 15, which is a view of the back or secondsurface 150 of the sheet 120 that includes the four double-sided foldedbusiness cards 122 shown in FIG. 13, if a user 58 was to turn the sheetover and view the back surface, and if the paper was thin enough topermit seeing the four blocks 124 that have been printed on the frontsurface 119, a users would then see a mirror image 152 of the indicia154 printed on the front surface. Seeing the indicia, e.g., text,backward, as a mirror images is not significant to printing since theindicia, e.g., the text and/or graphics, on the front surface of thesheet will not be printed on the back surface. However, what issignificant is the arrangement of the blocks.

When first viewing the first surface 119, a user 58 sees that the blocks124 are arranged from left-to-right and top-to-bottom across the sheet120. When viewing the back surface 150, a user sees the second block 132in the top left corner 156 of the sheet 120. When considering this froma print-standpoint, this seems natural. However, when a user is editinga design using a template 60 presented on the computer screen 66, theuser expects to see the inside surface 158 of each card 122 positionedfrom left-to-right and top-to-bottom, just as was done for the frontsurface 119 of the sheet (see FIG. 16). However, this assumption by theuser regarding the relative locations of each of the blocks 124 on thefront and back surfaces 119 and 150, respectively, is not correct.Accordingly, a different set of rules is needed for the reverse-sidedesign view. The user is presented with each object, e.g., block 124,separated from the group of objects (as in their normal pageorientation) but in a way that replicates how they might expect to seethem on the page/sheet.

A specific example of a sheet 160 that includes nine business cards 20in a three-across and three-down configuration 162 is shown FIG. 17. Theleft-hand side of FIG. 17 illustrates a view of the front or firstsurface 164 of the sheet, and the right-hand side of FIG. 17 illustratesa view of the bottom or second surface 166 of the sheet. As shown inFIG. 17, the relative location of each of the nine business cardschanges depending upon which surface of the sheet is viewed.

Example embodiments apply a vertical reorder pattern to the vieworientation of the back surface 166 of the sheet 160 that is shown inright-hand side of FIG. 17. This involves calculating the distance, alsoreferred to as a dimension, of each of the business cards 20 relative toone edge of the sheet 168. For example, the distance of a business cardfrom the left-hand edge 168 of the sheet now gives the appearance as ifit is being measure from the right-hand edge. That is, if the first card170 is 1 inch from the left-hand edge of the sheet when viewing thefront surface 164 of the sheet, and the sheet is 8 inches across, then,the new measurement for that individual card is 7½ inches from theleft-hand edge 168 of the sheet when viewing the back surface of thesheet (or 1 inch from the right-hand edge 172 of the sheet's backsurface). This calculation can be determined using the followingequation:

NP=PW−CP−CW

where:

-   -   NP=New “Design” Position from the left edge of the sheet's back        surface    -   PW=Page Width    -   CP=Card Position (also referred to as print location) from the        left edge of the sheet's front surface    -   CW=Width of the Card

The following table shows the various values of PW, CP, CW, and NP foreach of the nine cards shown in FIG. 13.

New Design Page Width Card Position Card Width Position Card (“PW”) in(“CP”) in (“CW”) in (“NP”) in Number inches inches inches Inches 3, 6, 98.5 0.25 2 6.25 2, 5, 8 8.5 3.25 2 3.25 1, 4, 7 8.5 6.25 2 0.25

All rows of business cards 20 on the screen follow this same approach.This gives the appearance, when the user 58 views the back surface 166of the sheet using the template 60, that the business card thatphysically is on the right-hand side of the back surface of the sheet isswapped with the card on the left-hand side of the sheet's back surface.Thus, when viewing the sheet's back surface with the template, the usersee the back surface just as he or she would see the sheet's frontsurface 164, and therefore, eliminates the potential for user confusionduring editing. In this embodiment, the view orientation of each of theitems 10 on the computer screen 66 for the back surface of the sheetmatches the print location of the same items on the sheet's frontsurface.

Referring again to FIG. 9, in the instance with greeting cards 12 thatalso require the reverse or back surface 28 to be flipped, the greetingcards are displayed for the user 58 so the second surface of the sheet84 is right side up, and then, anomalies associated with the actualorientation of the indicia 86 and 88 on the greeting cards is dealt withwhen the greeting cards are printed. In example situations where a sheetincludes cards having different sizes, the sheet's back surface isalways presented to the user right side up, and including the card width(“CW”) in the design view reorder calculation when creating the templatepresentation for the user. The program that implements the design viewreorder calculation also is used to build the template in a portraitlayout for printing, but provides enough information so as to presentthe sheet in landscape orientation in the design view, which might alsobe used for printing.

Referring again to FIGS. 6 and 17, and additionally to FIG. 18, anexemplary method for displaying a graphical representation of a sheet160, e.g., a template 60, that includes a plurality of double-sideditems 174 on a computer screen 66 for viewing by a user 58 according tothe present invention is illustrated in algorithm 176. The word“plurality” means two or more throughout this document. The sheet has afirst surface 164, a second surface 166, and a dimension that ismeasured across at least a portion of the sheet. The sheet is configuredto be printed with indicia 21 on both the first and second surfaces.Each of the plurality of double-sided items has a first print location176 on the first surface and a second print location 178 on the secondsurface. After starting the method at step 180, the next step 182 is toprovide information that characterizes the second print location of eachof the plurality of items, i.e., double-sided items, located on thesecond surface of the sheet and the dimension of the sheet. Next, atstep 184, the information is used to determine a view orientation foreach of the plurality of items on the second surface relative to agraphical representation of the sheet's second surface 64. Next, at step186, the view orientation is used to display a graphical representationof each of the plurality of items along with the graphicalrepresentation of the sheet's second surface on a computer screen 66.The view orientation of each of the plurality of items on the sheet'ssecond surface corresponds to a first print location of the item on thesheet's first surface.

At step 188, additional information is provided that characterizes thefirst print location 176 of each of the plurality of items 174 on thesheet's first surface 164. Next, at step 190, the additional informationis used to determine an additional view orientation for each of theplurality of items on the first surface relative to a graphicalrepresentation of the sheet's first surface 62. At step 192, theadditional view orientation is used to display the graphicalrepresentation of each of the plurality of items along with thegraphical representation of the sheet's first surface on the computerscreen 66. The additional view orientation for each of the plurality ofitems on the sheet's first surface corresponds to the first printlocation of the item on the sheet's first surface. The method ends atstep 194.

Printer Reinsertion.

Referring again to FIGS. 2, 5, and 6, after the user 58 uses thetemplate 60 of the item 10 to design the items e.g., adding indicia 21to the items the sheet 40 of item(s) that is going to be printed needsto be inserted into the printer 32. Yet, the reality of the physicalsheet has been abstracted via a design view 62 and 64. So, the concernbecomes how do ensure that the printing will occur correctly. First ofall, the program/software does not know if the sheet's back surface 24should be flipped upside down for printing (in order for the card 14 tobe right side up in design view). As such, each template programincludes a flag that notifies the program/software that the sheet's backsurface intentionally needs to be flipped. In one example embodiments,the user could be notified by the program during printing of the need toflip the sheet, if appropriate. In other example embodiments, theprogram, when issuing commands to a dual-sided printer to print theitems will prompt the dual-sided printer to flip the sheet. In thiscase, when the flag is found in a software template, the back surface ofa sheet is simply rendered upside-down when printing. Everything is inits place, but is now upside down.

Again, the goal is to not have a user 58 view the back face 26 of thecard 14 upside down when designing the layout of the item 10 using thetemplate 60. Thus, the back face is in a design friendly orientation,which is not always printer friendly. The program tracks the front/backand rotational relationships of the individual items relative to theoriginal layout of the blank printable stock. After the sheet's frontface 22 is printed, the program allows the user to reinsert the stockthe same way. The location and rotation of the items on the sheet's backsurface 24 is handled by the program, so the user is spared the task ofthis analysis.

All of the features disclosed in the specification, including theclaims, abstract, and drawings, and all of the steps in any method orprocess disclosed, may be combined in any combination, exceptcombinations where at least some of such features and/or steps aremutually exclusive. Each feature disclosed in the specification,including the claims, abstract, and drawings, can be replaced byalternative features serving the same, equivalent, or similar purpose,unless expressly stated otherwise. Thus, unless expressly statedotherwise, each feature disclosed is one example only of a genericseries of equivalent or similar features.

The foregoing detailed description of the present invention is providedfor purposes of illustration, and it is not intended to be exhaustive orto limit the invention to the particular embodiments disclosed. Theembodiments may provide different capabilities and benefits, dependingon the configuration used to implement the key features of theinvention. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is defined only bythe following claims.

We claim:
 1. A method for displaying indicia that is to be printed on adouble-sided item on a computer screen for viewing by a user, whereinthe double-sided item has a first surface and a second surface, theindicia has at least one print orientation when the indicia is printedon the item's first and second surfaces, the indicia has at least oneview orientation when the indicia is displayed on the computer screen,and the computer screen has a vertical orientation, the methodcomprising: a. providing information that characterizes the indicia's atleast one print orientation; b. using the information to compare theindicia's at least one print orientation to the computer screen'svertical orientation; and c. if, as a result of the comparison, theindicia's at least one print orientation does not match the computerscreen's vertical orientation, adjusting the indicia's at least one vieworientation so the indicia's at least one view orientation matches thecomputer screen's vertical orientation while maintaining the indicia'sat least one print orientation when the indicia is printed on thedouble-sided item.
 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the stepof adjusting the indicia's at least one view orientation involvesrotating the indicia's at least one view orientation 180 degrees if theindicia's at least one print orientation is inverted with respect to thecomputer screen's vertical orientation.
 3. The method according to claim1, wherein the step of adjusting the indicia's at least one vieworientation involves rotating the indicia's at least one vieworientation 90 degrees if the indicia's at least one print orientationis perpendicular to the computer screen's vertical orientation.
 4. Themethod according to claim 1, wherein the step of adjusting the indicia'sat least one view orientation ensures that the user will view theindicia right side up on the computer screen.
 5. The method according toclaim 1, further comprising providing a graphical representation of asheet that includes the double-sided item and is configured to bedisplayed on the computer screen for viewing by the user, wherein theindicia is displayed on the computer screen in conjunction with thegraphical representation of the sheet.
 6. The method according to claim5, wherein the graphical representation of the sheet that includes thedouble-sided item is a template.
 7. The method according to claim 1,wherein the double-sided item is selected from the group consisting of anote card, a greeting card, a postcard, a brochure, and a business card.8. A computer-readable medium that is configured to interface with acomputer and contains a program that is configured to prompt the displayof indicia that is to be printed on a double-sided item on a computerscreen for viewing by a user, wherein the double-sided item has a firstsurface and a second surface, the indicia has at least one printorientation when the indicia is printed on the item's first and secondsurfaces, the indicia has at least one view orientation when the indiciais displayed on the computer screen, and the computer screen has avertical orientation, the program comprising information that is used toprompt the display of the indicia on the computer screen, wherein: a.the program receives data that characterizes the indicia's at least oneprint orientation and the computer screen's vertical orientation; b. theprogram uses the data during a comparison of the indicia's at least oneprint orientation to the computer screen's vertical orientation; and c.if the program determines, as a result of the comparison, that theindicia's at least one print orientation does not match the computerscreen's vertical orientation, the program adjusts the indicia's atleast one view orientation so the indicia's at least one vieworientation matches the computer screen's vertical orientation whilemaintaining the indicia's at least one print orientation when theindicia is printed on the double-sided item.
 9. The computer-readablemedium according to claim 8, wherein the program further comprisesadditional information that the program is configured to use to adjustthe indicia's at least one view orientation to ensure that the user willview the indicia right side up on the computer screen.
 10. Thecomputer-readable medium according to claim 8, wherein the programfurther comprises additional information that the program is configuredto use to prompt the printing of the indicia on the double-sided item bya printer that is coupled to the computer.
 11. The computer-readablemedium according to claim 10, wherein the printer is selected from thegroup consisting of a top-feed printer and a bottom-feed printer. 12.The computer-readable medium according to claim 10, wherein the programfurther comprising a flag that is configured to prompt the printer toprint the indicia on the double-sided item in an inverted manner.
 13. Amethod for displaying a graphical representation of a sheet thatincludes a plurality of double-sided items on a computer screen forviewing by a user, wherein the sheet has a first surface, a secondsurface, and at least one dimension, the sheet is configured to beprinted with indicia on both the first surface and the second surface ofthe sheet, and each of the plurality of double-sided items has a firstprint location on the first surface and a second print location on thesecond surface, the method comprising: a. providing information thatcharacterizes the second print location of each of the plurality ofdouble-sided items on the sheet's second surface and the at least onedimension of the sheet; b. using the information to determine a vieworientation for each of the plurality of double-sided items on thesecond surface relative to a graphical representation of the sheet'ssecond surface; c. using the view orientation to display a graphicalrepresentation of each of the plurality of double-sided items along withthe graphical representation of the sheet's second surface on thecomputer screen; and d. wherein the view orientation for each of theplurality of double-sided items on the sheet's second surfacecorresponds to the first print location of the item on the sheet's firstsurface.
 14. The method according to claim 13, further comprising: a.providing additional information that characterizes the first printlocation of each of the plurality of double-sided items on the sheet'sfirst surface; b. using the additional information to determine anadditional view orientation for each of the plurality of double-sideditems on the first surface relative to a graphical representation of thesheet's first surface; c. using the additional view orientation todisplay the graphical representation of each of the plurality ofdouble-sided items along with the graphical representation of thesheet's first surface on the computer screen; and d. wherein theadditional view orientation for each of the plurality of double-sideditems on the sheet's first surface corresponds to the first printlocation of the item on the sheet's first surface.
 15. The methodaccording to claim 13, wherein the double-sided item is selected fromthe group consisting of a note card, a greeting card, a postcard, abrochure, and a business card.
 16. A computer-readable medium that isconfigured to interface with a computer and contains a program that isconfigured to prompt the display of a graphical representation of asheet that includes a plurality of double-sided items on a computerscreen for viewing by a user, wherein the sheet has a first surface, asecond surface, and at least one dimension, the sheet is configured tobe printed with indicia on both the first surface and the second surfaceof the sheet, and each of the plurality of double-sided items has afirst print location on the first surface and a second print location onthe second surface, the program comprising information that is used toprompt the display of the graphical representation of the sheet on thecomputer screen, wherein: a. the program receives data thatcharacterizes the second print location of each of the plurality ofdouble-sided items on the sheet's second surface and the at least onedimension of the sheet; b. the program uses the data to determine a vieworientation for each of the plurality of double-sided items on thesecond surface relative to a graphical representation of the sheet'ssecond surface; c. the program uses the view orientation to display agraphical representation of each of the plurality of double-sided itemsalong with the graphical representation of the sheet's second surface onthe computer screen; and d. wherein the view orientation for each of theplurality of double-sided items on the second surface corresponds to thefirst print location of the item on the first surface for the item. 17.The computer-readable medium according to claim 16, wherein the programfurther comprises additional information that the program is configuredto use to do the following: a. characterize the first print location ofeach of the plurality of double-sided items on the sheet's firstsurface; b. determine an additional view orientation for each of theplurality of double-sided items on the first surface relative to agraphical representation of the sheet's first surface; c. use theadditional view orientation to prompt the display of the graphicalrepresentation of each of the plurality of double-sided items along withthe graphical representation of the sheet's first surface on thecomputer screen; and d. wherein the additional view orientation for eachof the plurality of double-sided items on the sheet's first surfacecorresponds to the first print location of the item on the sheet's firstsurface.
 18. The computer-readable medium according to claim 16, whereinthe program further comprises additional information that the program isconfigured to use to prompt the printing of the indicia on the sheet bya printer that is coupled to the computer.
 19. The computer-readablemedium according to claim 18, wherein the program is configured toinclude additional information that the program is configured to use toprompt the user to reinsert the sheet into the printer in a specificsheet orientation after indicia has been printed on the sheet's firstsurface.
 20. The computer-readable medium according to claim 16, whereinthe program further includes additional information that the program isconfigured to use to prompt the display of each of the plurality ofdouble-sided items on the computer screen in a portrait orientation evenif the sheet will be printed in a landscape orientation.